JARVIS DOONEY

EXHIBITION

The Photograph as Contemporary Art

27 April 2016 - 11 June 2016

Jarvis Dooney is pleased to present the work of Jacqueline Ball (Room Service, 2015), Sophie Dumaresq (An Entropic Utopia, 2015) and Kate Robertson (Circle Work, 2013); three artists who each, through the use of the artist’s studio, meticulous planning, multi-disciplined experimentation and experiential documentation, encapsulate what Charlotte Cotton referred to as The Photograph as Contemporary Art.

Despite its increased acceptance over the last 10 years amongst institutions, galleries, collectors and audiences alike, the medium of photography still manages to polarise opinions when it comes to its standing as a contemporary art form. Questions regarding the automated mechanical process; analogue vs digital source material and time required to produce the work, still leaves many people unconvinced.

This group exhibition brings together three examples of the photograph as contemporary art. Utilising it for its inherent documentary function, whilst simultaneously questioning what it means to make a photograph; each of these artists take their own unique approach to photography, which in many ways introduces a sense of uncertainty to a medium known for its truth telling ability.

Time and the hand of the artist are two elements which play a significant role in each of these artists work. Whether it be constructing elaborate architectural models from cardboard, clay, wax, plaster, metal and paint (Jacqueline Ball); experimenting with chemical reactions and their installation potential (Sophie Dumaresq); methodically using the light sensitive materials in the darkroom to build a narrative (Kate Robertson), each of these artists embrace creative means that are as much experiential and sculptural as they are archival and photographic.

EXHIBITED ARTISTS